Residents line up to beat Emirates ID registration deadline

Some Dubai residents are making last-minute arrangements to obtain an Emirates ID before Saturday's deadline. At the end of the month, residents will face fines if they do not have one.

DUBAI // A steady stream of people visited an Emirates Identity Authority centre today, but there was no apparent rush less than 48 hours before the final deadline for Emirates ID card registrations.

Managers at the registration centre in Al Barsha said they were not expecting a large number of people scrambling to register - not even on the last day on Saturday.

The scene today was in stark contrast to May 31, when panicked residents had to wait in long queues and were often turned away because they had not had their documents processed through typing centres.

"We don't have a rush and we aren't expecting one," said Abdul Nasser Al Ali, the acting manager of the centre.

"We have given people their set appointments and they have been coming to the centre in an orderly manner all day, and I think that will continue through to Saturday as well."

Dubai, the last emirate to require registration, has given residents until the end of the month to enrol or face fines.